Top Agriculture News

South Carolina Agriculture Commissioner Hugh Weathers recently reached a major milestone. Yes, Mike. As of Sept. 14, I have been South Carolina’s Commissioner of Agriculture for 20 years. I was appointed by the governor in 2004. As a department and as an industry, we have accomplished some important things during these 20 years: These did […]

This is the SFN Market Report with Brooks Schaffer of Palmetto Grain. Reach him at [email protected] or 843-540-4540. Last week corn and soybeans went out with a whimper with soybeans testing support but holding over $10 and corn getting too close to support at $4 for comfort. Sunday night, corn and soybeans opened with a […]

WYOMING, Iowa (AP) — Taking a country drive in the Midwest means venturing into the corn zone. Snaking between 12-foot-tall green, leafy walls, the corn seems to block out nearly everything other than an occasional water tower. But soon, that towering corn might become a miniature of its former self, replaced by stalks only half as tall as the current green giants. The short corn offers farmers a variety that can withstand powerful windstorms that could become more frequent due to climate change. The smaller plants also let farmers plant at greater density, so they can grow more corn on the same amount of land and increase their profits. That is especially helpful as farmers endure low prices.

A coalition of 17 states filed a lawsuit this summer against the US Department of Labor to block a new rule allowing migrant H-2A workers to unionize. That’s a right Congress has not even granted to American farm workers. In late August, the 11th Circuit Court issued an injunction on the rule, but it only […]

The 2018 Farm Bill extension is due to expire on September 30, with no new legislation on the horizon. As the clock runs out, crop insurance is a huge piece of the puzzle. Mike LaFever, a board member of the Southwest Council of Agribusiness, talks about the urgency and significance of crop insurance for farmers. […]

The American Lamb Board is looking for 150 sheep producers to participate in its Climate Smart Sheep Program. Producers enrolled in the program will be paid up to $7,000 to develop and implement Climate Smart Sheep management practices and measure and report emissions and life cycle analysis. “Adding on-farm research and data collection in the […]

I’m Mike Davis. I’m talking with North Carolina Assistant State Climatologist Corey Davis. And Corey, let me get this right. It didn’t have a name. It was Potential Tropical Cyclone Eight. I think this really caught a lot of people off guard, perhaps because it did not have a name attached to it. We weren’t […]

This is the SFN Market Report with Brooks Schaffer of Palmetto Grain. Reach him at [email protected] or 843-540-4540. Grain and oilseed markets traded with light volume most of the week without being able to get much traction in either direction. We are in the early stages of harvest in the US and there is not […]

One of the biggest challenges in agriculture includes constantly changing laws and regulations. Roger McEowen, professor of agricultural law and taxation at Washburn University in Kansas, says legal challenges can make life difficult, especially when profit margins are tight. “It’s when you think of overall risk management for a farmer or rancher, understanding how you […]

Efforts to keep AM radio in the dashboards of U.S. vehicles have taken a step forward in the US House. The House Energy and Commerce Committee voted 45-2 to send the proposed “AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act” to the full House for a vote. “It’s been a stalwart of American prosperity and information sharing,” […]